Truth or Dare
by Princess Angel Rose
Summary: With Betty, truths are just as dangerous as dares. The truth is love and the dare is action. You need both to get together with the man you love.


Do I own Jimmy Neutron? I think you can answer that question. Here's a hint: It's a two-letter word that starts with "n" and ends with "o".

Cindy had often done some surprising things, like the time she quit piano lessons before she told her mother and the time she had sent Jimmy an anonymous love note on Valentine's Day, but what she had done this time was so amazing, so bizarre, so horrid, that even Libby, the only one who could usually predict her best friend's every step before she leaped, was still too shocked to speak to her, especially about this subject.

Cindy had invited Betty Quinlain to her slumber party.

Cindy and Libby stood in the doorway as the guests arrived, Betty right in the middle of them all. Libby gave Cindy a questioning look. Cindy groaned in response.

"Mom thought I should invite everybody, like we were still in the fourth grade, or something, instead of being juniors in high school. I didn't really expect her to show, anyway."

Libby nodded, partially satisfied at the answer. She didn't bring it up again even when, an hour later, they were caught up in a game of Truth or Dare. Brittany had just dared Betty to do something, and she had, and Betty turned on to Cindy.

"Truth or dare? And I'm warning you: my dares are horrible."

"Fine," Cindy conceded, not really caring. "Truth.

In the end, Cindy should have seen it coming. Quinlain actually had a rather good memory, and she wasn't going to drop it until she had some straight answers.

"You lied to me before, but you can't this time. Tell us about this you and Jimmy thing, Cindy."

Cindy's eyes widened. Libby almost choked on her Purple Flurp, and then smiled at Betty's antics. Every girl there was silent, eyes glue to the hostess. They were finally going to have the greatest mystery since the JFK assassination conspiracy theory solved.

Cindy sighed in defeat.

"All right," she surrendered. "If I recall correctly, last time I said that there was no thing between me and Jimmy. I wasn't lying." Betty opened her mouth to interrupt, but Cindy held her hand up to stop her. "Hold on. I didn't lie, but I didn't tell the full truth, either. There's nothing between us, but…sometimes I wish there was.

"Elaborate," Betty commanded, intrigued.

"I've been crushing on Jimmy since I met him. I only fight him because I don't want him to know plus I can't seem to get his attention otherwise."

"Can't get his attention? Think again! He's always staring at you, and do you have any idea how mad he gets when some other guy tries to flirt with you?"

It was exactly what Libby always told her, but it was Betty who caused Cindy to rethink the point.

"You really think so?"

Every other girl in the room, even the ones who never agreed on anything, took the opportunity to shout, "Duh!"

Cindy shook her head. "I don't know guys."

Everyone rolled their eyes. It was just like her to be the smartest girl in school and still not realize the obvious.

"Do you love him?"

Cindy turned red at Betty's question. "You only get to ask one thing," she reprimanded, purposely avoiding the question. That was enough to answer it.

Betty was thinking about that night when she neared the end of her advanced math class before lunch Monday morning to see Jimmy and Cindy arguing like usual.

"It's not _my _fault I can look out my window and see into yours! It's not like I was _trying _to see your stupid slumber party!"

"If you could keep your eyes off Betty for _two seconds_ you would know that there's a little thing called just don't look!"

"What makes you so sure I was staring at Betty the whole time?"

"Oh, what?" You've got a crush on some other idiot girl now?" She glared at him. He glared right back and yelled again.

"First of all, it's more than a crush. Second, what makes you say she's idiotic? She's brilliant! And lastly, I wasn't staring at her! Every guy on the face of the planet wants to know what goes on at those girly sleepovers. I couldn't resist!

"But every other guy has the decency not to spy!"

"I wasn't spying! I couldn't even hear anything! If I was spying, I would have enough technology to see and hear what was going on!"

"Maybe you knew you'd get caught!"

"Well, maybe—"

Betty rolled her eyes. And decided that now was as good a time as any to set her plan into action. She approached the arguing couple, thinking of what she had to do for them. She knew Cindy might hate her again, but…

"Hi Jimmy," she greeted flirtatiously. He barely noticed, but Cindy became infuriated. Betty had known it would happen.

"Hi Betty. Maybe I didn't—Where are you going?" Jimmy called after Cindy.

"To meet Libby in the cafeteria and to give you two some time alone!"

Jimmy started to go after her, but Betty held him back. "Let me," she ordered, and strode out of the room. She caught up with Cindy in the middle of the hallway lined with lockers. When she greeted her, Cindy spun on her heels.

"What do you want? You make me admit my secret, you flirt with him…Haven't you done enough? Are you _trying _to ruin my life?" She was obviously upset and livid, a very bad combination, Betty thought.

"I don't want to ruin anything," Betty countered softly, trying to make her understand. "I'm trying to make everything right."

"Yeah?" Cindy yelled. "You mean that you want me to give up so that you can go out with Neutron in peace? Fine! Take him! Flirt with him; kiss him, I DON'T CARE! I never stood a chance anyway." She said the last line softly, as if all of her heart tore out with that line, but then she began to yell again. "So just leave me alone and stay out of my life!"

She twirled around and stalked off, but not before Betty could call her name quietly. She stopped.

"What now?" she whispered, defeated.

"Truth or dare?"

"I'm sick of your truths, so we'll go with a dare."

"I dare you to tell Jimmy the truth."

"Why?" she asked softly, turning around with eyes shining with tears. "So that I can be humiliated? So you can be sure that I never bother you and Jimmy? Or so he can know what a pathetic loser I am?"

"No. So you can know that he loves you too."

A tear ran down her cheek and she wiped it hastily as she heard Jimmy behind her.

"Are you all right? You ran out of there awfully fast."

"Yeah." She glanced back at him. "I'm fine." She then turned to Betty, who gestured her forward with a nod of her head. Cindy nodded as well and turned, running after the boy genius.

"Jimmy, wait!"  
He spun around.  
"Did you just call me Jimmy?"

"Do we have to go through this conversation every time I call you by your first name?" she asked, a bit more critically than necessary or intended.

"Whatever," Jimmy remarked, annoyed. "What do you want?"

"I…Jimmy, I've known you for years. Over those years, we've had our differences and we've had our moments, but—"

"Look," he interrupted. "We both know you're the best speech-maker in class. Can you just get to the point?"

"I love you."

Jimmy just stared at her in shock. You could've heard crickets loudly had it been night, and it seemed like hours before one of them spoke. It was Cindy who finally did.

"Okay, well…I just thought you should know. I'm gonna go meet Libby in the cafeteria…and maybe crawl into a hole while I'm at it. I'll see you around, Neutron."

She walked past him and it took another moment for him to gather his senses, but when he did he turned sharply, grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him.

"What are you—?"

Before she could finish, his incredibly soft lips came crashing down on hers. After a few seconds, his tongue came along, begging entrance. She allowed it and, for the next two minutes, they were caught in, what seemed, eternal bliss.

When they reluctantly let go for air, they were both breathing heavily.

"I-I'm going to take that as an 'I love you, too'."

He was nodding. "You think?"

They were silent for moment, Cindy glancing at where Betty had been standing. She was gone now.

"Truth or dare?"

Perplexed, Jimmy answered, "Truth."

Cindy smiled. She knew he was going to say that. "When was the last time you crushed on Betty?"

He looked surprised. "I think I like her for a week in sixth grade. But, you know, I think I've always loved you. Why?"

She smiled slyly. She'd never tell the real reason for the question: the fact that Betty and a game of truth or dare had gotten her into the mess, as well as the happiest thing of her life.


End file.
